Finnish operator Elisa credited a 5G cloud RAN deployment by Nokia as prominent advance of an autonomy strategy, with the companies stating the move is a European first.

Elisa CTO Kalle Lehtinen explained adding the radio access capability extends work to imbibe the core and edge of its network with cloud capabilities, advancing its goal of pioneering technologies which will ultimately deliver autonomous operations.

Nokia stated Elisa will be able to run its cloud RAN set-up alongside “purpose-built networks in hybrid environments”, which could ultimately be evolved to be fully native.

The deployment uses common Nokia RAN software and is proven to be capable of handling end-to-end 5G voice and data calls.

It employs Nokia’s AirScale Massive MIMO radios, baseband software and AI-capable MantaRay network management product.

A key element appears to be an integration with a hybrid cloud service provided by open-source software provider Red Hat. Nokia explained the US company’s OpenShift is “powered by Kubernetes” and enables operators to “scale their 5G network footprint”.

Honore LaBourdette, VP of telco, media, entertainment and edge ecosystem at Red Hat, argued the significance of cloud RAN is as much about “boosting collaboration and innovation” as it is deploying services at the network edge.

Nokia head of cloud RAN Aji Ed said close collaboration with companies including Red Hat is a pillar of its “any RAN approach”, hailing the deployment with Elisa as proof its set-up is “ready for commercial deployment”.

The vendor explained the deployment is the culmination of work which included conducting “numerous end-to-end 5G data calls in multi-supplier set-ups”, in turn providing operators with fresh revenue-generating opportunities.